


Just Because

by Blue_Cat



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: DCColdwave, Fluff, M/M, Pet Names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 09:16:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7428959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Cat/pseuds/Blue_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mick’s always been a fan of nicknames</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Because

Mick's always been a fan of nicknames. Leonard learned very early on in their partnership that the arsonist only calls him 'Snart' when he's pissed. Most of the time it's 'buddy', 'pal', 'partner', or 'boss' in tones that become less and less sarcastic as time goes on. If it had been any of those words that Mick had let slip that evening as he was fiddling with his bike engine, Leonard wouldn't have batted an eye.

As it was, Mick chooses a new name when he half-turns away from his project to ask, "Hand me my gloves, babe?"

Leonard blinks, abruptly torn from his perusal of an article on the Rembrandt being put on display in the Keystone City Museum of Art next month.

Leonard's not quite sure what to do about this label; it's actually something that's never come up before in his life. He doesn't know how to feel about it, which is always unsettling. He opens his mouth, because obviously he should nip this in the bud if it's going to make him uncomfortable otherwise Mick will think it's okay, but instead finds himself pausing.

He watches Mick, eyes focused on his work even with his hand stretched out behind him waiting for the gloves that never arrive. Eventually, he catches on and turns fully around, looking wary when he finds Leonard sitting supremely still and gawking back at him.

"Len." He doesn't start at the grunt, but it's a near thing. Mick points to the coffee table next to where Leonard's planted his feet and repeats, "the gloves."

Leonard passes them over mutely this time and Mick turns back to his work, although he does send Leonard a couple of suspicious glances throughout the rest of the day.

* * *

Leonard's almost able to convince himself that he must have misheard it, until it happens again the next time they're at the bar getting drinks. This time there's a witness when he passes a beer over and Mick mumbles a mindless "thanks, doll", and Lisa nearly blows the whole thing when her face lights up in pure elation. He's able to quell her with a quick look, but only temporarily.

When Mick leaves for the bathroom a bit later, petting a hand through Leonard's short hair as he goes, Lisa pounces.

"What's going on there?" she probes with a knowing glint in her eye.

"Nothing," he says, by which he means he has no idea. Her face drops entirely.

" _Lenny_ ," she protests in a tone that signifies he's about to receive a scolding from the girl whose diapers he used to change, "You've got avoidance issues out the ass and Mick's never gonna bring it up if you don't."

Leonard thinks Lisa spends too much time watching romcoms, but he just shrugs and looks away. She rolls her eyes back and they're both giving each other the cold shoulder by the time a very confused Mick comes back to them.

* * *

He hasn't fucked anybody but Mick in over two months.

They're not fucking any more frequently than they have in the past under certain circumstances, like when they're locked up or trying to lay low or are confined to the impressive but limited quarters of a time-travelling spaceship. Except none of those situations currently apply.

It's not even the fact that he's not sleeping with anybody else that bothers him, it's that he doesn't  _want_ to. There's a whole city of interesting, attractive people that he'd normally have no qualms about enticing into his bed for the night but now can't muster the enthusiasm to look twice at. Meanwhile Mick just has to say a few words and he's got Leonard happily dropping his pants.

And he says a lot of words. He starts calling Leonard names when they fuck. Everything's 'baby', 'pretty', 'sweetheart', telling Leonard how hot he is, how tight, how good he makes Mick feel. Spoken against his skin and whispered into his ear.

It's overwhelming and makes it so he can't think straight, can't remember the reasons why they never spent the whole night together before.

In the morning he sticks around while Mick sleeps in. Brings his coffee back to bed, turns the T.V. on low volume. He doesn't notice when Mick wakes up, only suddenly there's a hand on the small of his back. Another steals the mug from his grip, carrying it away to take a noisy slurp.

Mick rasps, "Morning, darlin'" in a voice gruff from sleep. Leonard forgets the coffee in favor of pushing Mick back down and slanting their lips together.

* * *

In the past it's made him uncomfortable that Mick can read him so easily. People think it's he that knows Mick well, but the arsonist makes things simple. Mick's never tried to mask who he is or what he wants at any particular moment, has no problem making his needs known to the world. Leonard, in contrast, has made an art out of building walls and keeping people out. But Mick knows him so effortlessly despite that and now he can't help but be grateful.

It's Raymond who finally gives voice to it, because of course it is.

Mick's got a hand loosely gripping the back of Leonard's neck as he watches some war documentary that Leonard himself is only half paying attention to, so he notices Palmer stopping to gape dumbly at them.

He's already regretting his decision to tell Sara where they were staying. Not for anything against Sara of course, who sneaks around Ray's immobile form to collapse into the vacant armchair, but because it was the assassin's idea to bring along her fellow denizen of Starling City as an unapproved plus one.

"You're catching flies," Sara points out, causing Palmer to click his mouth shut.

"Sorry, it's just, it's nice," he decides with a gesture that tries to encompass all that is Leonard and Mick and whatever is nice about it, "never would've pegged you two for the 'domestic bliss' type, but it's surprisingly sweet."

The look on Leonard's face must scream absolute  _murder_ because even Sara sits up in her seat. He distantly feels Mick squeeze his neck gently but is much more concerned with trying to kill Palmer with his eyes and not make it look like he freaked out because the idiot dared to make their newfound skinship a viable talking point.

Ray's got eyes wide in panic, "What? I'm - It's a  _compliment_. I'm saying you guys were a little rocky for a while and Mick tried to kill you and then, Snart, you  _died_ and just that it's good that-"

"-Alright, haircut," Mick cuts in, using Leonard's shoulder to push himself to stand, thumb brushing across Leonard's collarbone before he releases him, "Time to go."

"Go?" Palmer asks, warily. He eyes Sara, for backup or maybe an explanation, but the assassin's not willing to provide either, sinking back into the armchair to effectively claim neutrality.

"You and me had a deal, remember? Now I get to shave your head."

* * *

By all logic, he should hate it.

It's not like he's special, Leonard can personally attest to witnessing firsthand Mick referring to Lisa, Sara, Kendra, any hooker he's ever interacted with, and  _Raymond Palmer_ as 'pretty'. The fact that he's suddenly using it for Leonard now too shouldn't mean anything.

But he likes it. He fucking  _likes_ it. And no one could be more shocked about it than he is. He likes Mick calling him pet names and all of the new things that come with that. Likes that when Mick sprawls into a chair, he'll stretch an arm out behind Leonard's head now. Likes that when he's lying spread out over an entire couch, Mick will plop down next to him now, drape Leonard's legs across his lap. Likes that they stand so close together now, that when they walk their arms brush at the elbows every other step, that Mick will whisper straight into his ear now and stare right into his eyes.

It drives him fucking crazy, all of it. He should hate it but instead just feels so stupidly happy when Mick will grab his hand out of nowhere and for no reason at all.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
